NCRA Director Cindy Isaacsen, RPR, a
freelance court reporter from Shawnee, Kan., was featured in a photo and quoted
in an article posted May 10 by The Miami County Republic, about her
participation in a recent career fair held a local middle school.

The Hutchinson News reported on April 28 that NCRA
member Susan Carden, RPR, an official court reporter from Hutchinson, Kan.,
will be honored with the Liberty Bell Award for her years of service to the
Reno County Courts by the Reno County Bar Association on May 1 in recognition
of Law Day.

It was
a great honor to be chosen to be the honorary bailiff for the Kansas Supreme
Court for a special session it was having in Lawrence, Kan.

Since
2011, the Kansas Supreme Court has conducted 16 special sessions throughout the
state where court representatives have traveled to all areas of the state to
argue some Supreme Court cases, which allowed members of that community to come
see them in action. Since 2015, those have been evening events, which brought a
bigger attendance. Prior to our event in Lawrence, the largest crowd was 700
people. The attendance in Lawrence was more than 800 community members.

Whenever
the Supreme Court has one of these special sessions, they reach out to the chief
judge in that city and ask that the chief judge pick a person who would be a
great example of the judicial system, someone who has long-standing employment
with the state and would be willing and able to take on the role of “honorary
bailiff.” Consequently, having worked for the Kansas judicial system as a court
reporter for over 43 years and my love of the court system and all it stands
for, I was asked by the chief judge if I would be willing to do the job. Well, I am always about promoting court
reporting, and I thought this would be another great opportunity for just that.
Our Office of Judicial Administration contacted me and asked if they could do
an interview of me that they would then do a media blast on. I, of course,
obliged, once again to get the career of court reporting promoted.

Following
the interview and my approval of the same, the published article went on the state
judicial website, and it also was sent to our local newspaper that was
published online and in print. It was then put on my own Facebook page, as well
as our KCRA Facebook page and the NCRA Facebook page. So based on all of that,
hopefully, a few or a lot more people saw “court reporting” in a positive
light.

As far as the event itself, my job was to pronounce the entry of the Supreme Court justices: “All rise.” (Then a rapping of the gavel three times.) Then I said: “Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye, the Supreme Court of the State of Kansas.” There was further text they had me say, but it was in front of me, and I don’t remember it all. At that point, the chief justice took over and then honored me as a loyal Kansas employee and a court reporter for our state since 1975. I’m sure there was some gasping when people heard that, because they probably think I should be dead by now. At the adjournment, they had me further say, “All rise” to the crowd as they exited.

Following the session, there was a reception for all of the justices to meet and greet the community members. There were many from the legal community especially that came up to me to congratulate me for my service.

This
was the first time I’ve ever been invited to do such a thing, and I felt
honored to be chosen. Following that, I received a very nice thank-you letter
from the Kansas Supreme Court chief justice for being the honorary bailiff and
for my state service.

If any
opportunity like this ever presents itself to any of you, please take it. There
is no better way to present ourselves publicly and what we do. The only regret
I have is that they didn’t ask me to bring my machine because we all know how
that always intrigues people and they want to know how it works.

I love
court reporting!

Mary Kay Howe, RMR, is an official court
reporter based in Lawrence, Kan. She can be reached at mhowe@douglas-county.com.

A press release issued March 25 by the Kansas County Courts Office of Judicial Administration announced that NCRA member Mary Kay Howe, RMR, an official court reporter from Lawrence, Kan., has been named an honorary bailiff for a special session of the state’s Supreme Court.

KHSB TV, Kansas City, Mo., posted a story on Feb. 8 featuring NCRA members Cindy Isaacsen, RPR, an official court reporter from Olathe, Kan., and Chris Herndon, RPR, CRI, an official court reporter from Prairie Village. The article focused on the growing demand for more court reporters.

The Wamego Times reported on Feb. 8 that the Kansas Supreme Court has issued a proclamation recognizing Feb. 10-17 as National Court Reporting & Captioning Week and has encouraged all Kansans to join the state court system in its observance of the week.

NCRA’s 2018 Court Reporting & Captioning Week, Feb. 10-17, kicks off in just over a week, and state associations, individual members, and schools around the country are finalizing their plans to celebrate. From contests to open houses to showcasing realtime at courthouses and at career fairs, the quest is in full swing to raise awareness about the career opportunities available in the court reporting and captioning professions.

Students go for the gold

In celebration of the week, NCRA’s Student/Teacher Committee is sponsoring an Olympic-themed speed test open to all students at varying test speeds. The tests consist of five minutes of dictation at a speed level that each individual student is either currently working on or has just passed. In order to be eligible to win, students must pass the test with 96 percent accuracy. One Literary and one Q&A test will be offered, and the faculty at each school will be responsible for dictating and grading the material.

All students who pass a test are eligible for prizes; winners will be drawn at random for first (gold), second (silver), and third (bronze) prizes. Prizes will include a copy of NCRA’s RPR Study Guide ($125 value) for the gold medal winner, a choice of a one-year NCRA student membership ($46 value) or one leg of the RPR Skills Test ($72.50 value) for the silver medal winner, and a $25 Starbucks gift card for the bronze medal winner.

Events around the country

To mark this year’s event, the Texas Court Reporters Association (TCRA) is hosting its second annual virtual run, which is themed Peace Love Steno. The run is open to all court reporting and captioning runners, walkers, and exercise enthusiasts. Once participants sign up and register, they can plan their 5K walk/run, which can be completed on a treadmill, around their neighborhood, at a local park, or at the office. TCRA asks that all participants post pictures of themselves completing their walk or run on its Facebook page. The cost to register is $25, and those who complete the 5K earn an antique gold medal with bright psychedelic colors and a purple ribbon.

Theresa Reese, RMR, Honolulu, Hawaii, an official court reporter for the First Circuit Court, will be hosting an event that will include an information kiosk at her courthouse to raise awareness about the profession and the role court reporters play in the judicial system.

In Kansas City, Kan., a court reporter shortage at the Wyandotte County Courthouse has prompted official court reporter Rosemarie A. Sawyer-Corsino, RPR, to plan a meet-and-greet at the courthouse to raise awareness about the need for qualified professionals.

Members and states compete in the annual NSCA challenge

The aim of the challenge is to encourage working professionals to spread the word about what viable career paths court reporting and captioning are. NCSA will review and tally all submissions by members and state associations, and all entries will be eligible for prizes ranging from free webinars to event registrations. More information about the NCSA Challenge is also available at NCRA.org/government.

a quick link to NCRA’s DiscoverSteno site that includes more information about the free A to Z Intro to Machine Steno program

and more

In addition, the 2018 resource center includes an updated, customizable PowerPoint presentation. The presentation is geared toward potential court reporting students and the public in general to bring awareness to the ample opportunities available in the profession.

Remember to share how you celebrate the week by sending information about and photos of your event to NCRA’s Communications Team at pr@ncra.org. Everyone is also encouraged to share his or her activities on social media using the hashtag #DiscoverSteno.

The board of trustees of the Neosho County Community College, Chanute, Kan., recently approved a certificate for court reporting. The 45-credit-hour program is for those who only want to pass the state court reporting certification, according to an article posted on April 12 by the Chanute Tribune.

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